No one can find humor in defeat like the British, and they’ve had to laugh a lot over the 52 years since they last won a World Cup.

The only question is how they’ll disappoint you: Will it be a quick-and-shameful elimination, like England had in 2014? Or will they add to their ignominious history of penalty-kick defeats, enough to spawn their own YouTube montages?

This year’s Lions boast another tantalizingly talented squad that’s high on young, fast players. Striker Harry Kane is one of the world’s best and he led England through an undefeated qualifying round. They should get past the group stage this time and could have a winnable round of 16 match against Colombia. Who knows what could happen then?

Well, we probably know what will happen: all those British pub crowds crying into their pints while playing the Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.”

Reasons to root for all 32 World Cup teams in 2018
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If you want to see a potential player-coach mutiny: Mexico

Mexican coaches have shorter shelf lives than your average banana – one of them had the job for an entire four days in 2013. So Juan Carlos Osorio is on a comparative roll having coached El Tri for 2.5 years.

But Osario’s constant matchup tinkering – 44 different lineups in 44 games – has worn thin with his players and the Mexican fans. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa recently said "it's time to stop with the experiments. We have to focus on how we play as a team."

El Tri fans pushed a “Fire Osorio” hashtag on social media even after the team qualified for the World Cup with one of the most talented Mexico rosters in recent memory. And Osorio is openly listening to invitations to coach other national teams. Osorio is also known for his temper – he was suspended for six matches in 2017 during the Confederations Cup for insulting referees.

Mexico has been knocked out in the round of 16 each of the last six World Cups, but it’s talented enough to make a deeper run. As long as their coach doesn’t flash the bird at his players and walk off the pitch mid-game.

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If you’re a happy drunk kind of fan: Denmark

Few fans can drink all day and stay friendly like the Danes. They call themselves Roligans, which combines hooligans with the Danish word for “calm,” and they’re so hard-core about being chill that it’s in one of their soccer anthems: “We are the atmosphere, we are the happy fans / we are the Danish Roligans!"

If you’re at a soccer bar, look for the cheerful fans wearing red-and-white face paint and funky Viking hats. Their team is good too – Denmark is a strong candidate to emerge from Group C with France, and Tottenham's Christian Eriksen is a star. His hat trick against Ireland put Denmark in the World Cup.

Les Bleus are stacked with star power, young talent and depth, and they’re one of the few teams with a real chance to win the whole thing. France is also unrivaled when it comes to prima donnas and team drama.

Since the last World Cup, they had two players involved in a truly insane sex tape scandal where star forward Karim Benzema played middle-man in the attempted blackmail of a teammate. This led to Benzema being excluded from the World Cup roster despite his great talents, and it brings a weird backdrop for a team that’s had more drama since. When coach Didier Deschamps put midfielder Adrien Rabiot on the standby list for his World Cup roster, an angry Rabiot responded by saying he wouldn’t answer the call if needed. This led Deschamps to call the 23-year-old immature.

As for those on the team, Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann are genuine stars, but they’re also multimedia divas who have been accused of being too self-absorbed to win. Can they stay focused when it counts? Boom or bust, France will be fun to watch.

Soccer newbies will find plenty of stimulation just watching the Super Eagles’ home uniforms, which are based on Nigeria’s 1994 World Cup duds. Those green-and-white chevrons with white-and-black on the sleeves will stand out on any-sized screen, plus their fans will be rocking green-and-white wigs in the stands.

The Nike jerseys have been hot items, with over 3 million pre-orders. Fans who would rather watch something more understated will enjoy Nigeria’s road jerseys, which are a solid dark green.

The Super Eagles are also the youngest team in the World Cup, if that’s a factor for you. In part because of that lack of experience, they might have a tough time advancing past Group D. But at least you know they’ll go down looking sharp.

If you want to see a team avoid the sweetest form of fan abuse: South Korea

Sometimes in the World Cup, victory doesn’t mean holding up the trophy in the end — it just means not being pelted in the head with hard candy by your countrymen.

The Taeguk Warriors could not avoid that fate in the 2014 World Cup after a disastrous 0-2-1 performance in Brazil. Angry fans greeted them at the Seoul airport by throwing candy at them and shouting “Go eat a toffee,” which is actually a serious insult there. South Americans’ laughter at this could be heard from halfway around the world.

The good news is that one point isn’t a tough benchmark to improve upon. The bad news is that South Korea is stuck in a brutal draw with Germany, Mexico, and Sweden. You’ll have fun watching striker Son Heung-min, a star with Tottenham and by far the team’s best player. But other than him, this team doesn't offer much.

Maybe the South Koreans can at least pick a softer type of candy this time? Peeps, maybe?

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If you just want to watch the team with the best hair: Portugal

Don’t get us wrong, the Selecao are a solid team that will probably advance to the knockout stage. But if you want Team Zoolander, this is probably it. Cristiano Ronaldo’s hair is as bullet-proof as his game, and the only person who could make him look bad was the person who sculpted his bust.

Not to be overlooked are well-coiffed teammates such as Andre Silva, Ricardo Quaresma, and Adrien Silva. Quaresma is known to take some chances with his hair too, such as his patriotic dyed feather look in 2016.

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For people who want lots of flopping: Brazil

One could say Brazil flopped collectively with its 7-1 semifinal loss to German in 2014, but its players do it individually as well as anyone. The Wall Street Journal tracked every dubious dive taken during the first 32 games of the last World Cup, and Brazil led the way with 17. Neymar is one of the world’s best players, but he’s also such a distinguished flopper that there are entire YouTube reels of his work. He also leads the world in shirtless Instagram photos, if that’s a factor for you.

Brazil should be fighting mad to redeem itself this year and it’s as talented as ever, so the dive-o-meter could go off the charts right into the championship game.

For people who want lots of flopping: Brazil
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For soccer hipsters who want to say they were there first: Belgium

Among the most likely teams to win the World Cup, this is your best chance to say “You probably haven’t heard of them.” This is probably Belgium’s best team ever, thanks to a golden generation of players including offensive mastermind Kevin De Bruyne, high-scoring winger Eden Hazard, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Memorize those names and you’ll impress your friends as they advance in the tournament.

Just beware the risks before hopping on this bandwagon: the Red Devils flamed out in the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Euros with many of the same players.

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For Americans who want to live vicariously: Costa Rica

If La Sele are going to pull off a surprise run into the knockout stage, it’s going to be on the back of goalkeeper Keylor Navas. The Real Madrid star shut out the Americans twice in qualifying matches and is perhaps the biggest reason why the Americans aren't in Russia. Rooting for Costa Rica may sound tough, but it’ll make us look better for losing to them, right?

Costa Rica’s roster includes six MLS players, which might suit you if you want familiar faces. Its roster is also tied with Panama for the oldest World Cup teams, with an average age of 29.6.

Costa Rica made an impressive run to the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals and returns much of the same squad. But they’re light on offensive firepower, so they’ll need Navas to stay hot if they’re to squeeze ahead of Serbia for the second spot behind Brazil.

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If you like a LeBron-style one-man offense: Poland

The Eagles are capable of advancing from Group H mainly because of one man: Robert Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich superstar scored 16 of Poland’s 28 goals in qualifying – the most in Europe – and he’s the country’s all-time goal scorer with 52 in 93 games.

Poland insists it’s not a one-man team and it will need younger talents like Piotr Zielinski and Karol Linetty to chip in for a deep run. But if Lewandowski goes quiet, as he did at the 2016 Euros when he failed to score, so will Polish fans.

If you like a LeBron-style one-man offense: Poland
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For the ultimate underdog with the coolest ritual: Iceland

If the World Cup were a blockbuster Hollywood movie, Iceland would win it all. They’ve already stunned everyone by earning their first World Cup appearance. They embody all the clichés about teamwork, they have a bankable star in Gylfi Sigurdsson, and their fans share a goosebump-inducing Viking war clap with the players.

They also happen to be stuck in a brutal group with Argentina, Croatia, and Nigeria, which would play great on film but will probably lead to their real-life downfall. But maybe the Icelanders have another surprise yet.

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If you want to see a team live the Ewing Theory: Sweden

The Ewing Theory was popularized by ESPN’s Bill Simmons, who postulated a team often plays better without its star. Legendary Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic played a game of cat-and-mouse with fans in recent months, teasing them on whether he would play in one last World Cup in 2018.

Ibrahimovic, now in sunset mode with the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer, will be at the World Cup — as a credit card spokesman. Sweden was able to knock out behemoths Italy and Holland without him, so maybe a deep World Cup run is in the offing.

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To watch a breakout player who will be attached to the ball: Morocco

For the uninitiated soccer fan who wants the familiarity of hearing the same star player’s name repeated hundreds of times and maybe witnessing an upset or two, Hakim Ziyech is the man for you. Ziyech has the talent and the personal incentive to dominate the ball for the Atlas Lions, who will need some star power to advance ahead of Spain or Portugal.

Ziyech is a playmaker and high-volume shooter who can be equal parts Steph Curry and Jordan Clarkson on his Dutch league team, Ajax – he was involved in a combined 308 shots (165 shots, 143 chances created), which leads all European players in top leagues during the 2017-18 season.

Ziyech is the rare talent who can out-pass and out-shoot the competition – or shoot his own team out of the match. He falls in love with every shot he sees, especially if it’s from long range – over 73 percent of his shots this season were from outside the box.

He may not be a household name yet the way Messi and Harry Kane are, but Ziyech is being courted by such big shots as Everton, Liverpool and AS Roma. Given a recent media interview and his run-in with fans in the team bus, he seems eager to move on from Ajax. A solid showing in the World Cup would give him an ideal stage to raise his asking price.

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If you want to be boring: Germany

The reigning champs are again favorites this time around, so go ahead and choose them if you like large dogs, the hashtag #winning and the Golden State Warriors. Germany’s core remains mostly intact from the team that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, so if there’s one knock against Zee Germans it could be that they’re aging a bit. But what’s more boring than a favorite? An old favorite. Yawn.

The Germans even have the most boring team nickname: Nationalmannschaft, which literally means, “The Team.” So yeah, go Team.

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If you want to recapture old glory: Spain

No team has had more of a rollercoaster ride in major tournaments than the Spaniards. They won their first World Cup in 2010, then had a shocking Group Stage exit in 2014 before also crashing out of Euro 2016 to Italy in the Round of 16. But they look solid in defense and have a winnable group with Portugal, Morocco, and Iran. Could Spain recapture the Cup? It’s possible.

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If you want to see a good team hungry to become great: Colombia

Anyone who watched the stellar documentary “The Two Escobars” knows how inspiring Colombia’s comeback has been. After a deep soccer depression that began with a player murdered for allowing an own-goal, Los Cafeteros returned from a 16-year World Cup absence in 2014 with a quarterfinal run that was their deepest ever.

James Rodriguez led the way by earning the Golden Boot for top World Cup scorer with six goals as a 22-year-old. Now Colombia wants to go from feel-good story to world power, and they all have something to prove – even Rodriguez, who’s had an up-and-down club career with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich since the Cup.

With Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao, and Juan Cuadrado, the talent is there for Colombia to win its group. Then it would likely face England or Belgium in the round of 16, and that’s when the moment of truth will come.

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To watch soccer’s newest diva: Serbia

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is only 23, but his play for Italy’s Lazio is earning him comparisons to France’s Paul Pogba. And he’s already helped get his national coach fired because he couldn’t get playing time, despite Serbia winning its qualifying group.

New coach Mladen Krstajic is making extra clear that Milinkovic-Savic, also called “The Sergeant,” will have a prime role in Russia. A standout performance could be his springboard into the Premier League.

Don’t expect to see the Swiss players singing passionately with hands on hearts during their pregame national anthem. Like their countrymen, many players don’t sing along to it despite the country replacing its God-and-weather heavy Swiss Psalm with more politically correct lyrics in 2013. Many Swiss haven’t learned the new lyrics yet despite a nationwide campaign.

Other noteworthy facts about the Swiss team: They’re inexplicably ranked No. 6 by FIFA, and they have a retro-1970s logo that looks like a maze from a children’s coloring book.

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For people who appreciate long-term, stale relationships: Japan

The Blue Samurai have a dope name, and that’s where the excitement ends this year. Sure, the Japanese are experienced with six straight World Cup appearances, and their fans have fond memories of reaching the knockout stages in 2002 and 2010. But their performance has been in decline as the team has aged – not even star player Keisuke Honda's sizzling bleached-blonde hairdo can obscure his going scoreless in Japan’s last eight qualifying games.

The team tried to shake things up, firing Vahid Halilhodzic with just two months to prepare under untested new coach Makoto Hasebe. But there’s little evidence to show that will help the Blue Samurai make it out of their relatively weak group ahead of Poland or Senegal.

Senegal hasn’t played in a World Cup since its debut in 2002, but it got the world’s attention when it did, upsetting defending champion France and advancing to the quarterfinals. They’re good enough to surprise again this year, and untested enough to flame out in the group stage. Get in on the ground floor now if you dare.

The Lions are led by winger Sadio Mane, who has eight goals in nine games with Liverpool. He’s always a threat to score, and he’s supported by players who have shined on the club level without proving much on the national side. Senegal has all the skills to shove aside Poland and Japan to make the knockout stage, but no one knows if they’ll come through.

The Lions are also the team for you if you like soccer scandal: their 2-1 qualifying loss to South Africa was replayed because of match-fixing by a referee, and they won the rematch.

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If you just want to root for a team with a killer nickname: Tunisia

There’s little chance they’ll advance from the group stage, but the World Cup needs a team named The Eagles of Carthage. Tunisia, in the World Cup for the first time since 2006, will lose much of its offense with Youssef Msakni injured.

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For those who play the lottery: Saudi Arabia

Other than a cool nickname – the Green Falcons – Saudi Arabia offers precious little as a team. They have no World Cup experience and not enough talent to overcome that. Midfielder Yahya Al Shehri is the only name worth memorizing.

On the other hand, such a bad team is why Saudi Arabia has the longest World Cup odds – 1,000 to 1 in many betting markets. So if you’re feeling extremely lucky, take a chance on these guys. If nothing else, playing in a weak Group A gives the Saudis a slight chance of advancing.